Sunshine Matters

In an ongoing effort to support its vision of establishing Florida as the No. 1 travel destination in the world, VISIT FLORIDA attended South by Southwest (SXSW) for the first time.  The interactive conference is a greenhouse of ideas and solutions featuring presentations, keynotes and events hosted by some of the brightest minds in emerging technology.

While leaders cast their big-picture analysis of the future, we were treated to a plethora of strategic and tactical learning sessions for five straight days.  The content of the sessions was so rich that I felt as if I were eating pieces of cheesecake one after the other, regretting the sessions that I was unable to attend due to a commitment to other sessions.  At the end of the conference, I was stuffed with thoughts of innovation, creativity and cutting-edge ideas on how to lead VISIT FLORIDA in the world to come.

One of the consistent themes was that, despite what social media platform you engage in or what technological systems you put in place, content is the biggest piece of solving your creative and marketing puzzles.  Great content will find its way onto whatever new platform arises, whether that’s over the next few years or twenty years.  Content is always king and is always the best investment.

In one of the keynotes (Ambient Location and the Future of the Interface), Amber Case referred to us as cyborgs. A cyborg, short for “cybernetic organism,” is a being with both biological and artificial (e.g. electronic, mechanical or robotic) parts.  That definition clearly describes modern day humans, as we carry around our electronic brains known as smart phones.  We are consumed by them, and this was evident by the way people rarely interacted with each other, being too busy tweeting, checking email or pushing their experiences out into the world of social media.  They were so busy disseminating their experiences that many other experiences passed by unbeknownst to them.  One of the main points of this keynote was that the best technology is invisible and gets out of people’s way so they can live their lives. When users can interact with their surroundings with their heads up instead of looking down at their smart phone, another huge change in our sociological behavior will take place.

With the packed hotels, crowded streets and constant barrage of information, there was something happening for me personally underneath this onslaught of information.  It was a desire for a few minutes of peace and tranquility.  I am not alone in this as there are signs of a movement to escape the frenetic world we now live in.  For example, I discovered The Undo List which was promoted at SXSW.  It is a website created to help you disconnect from the electronic world for a 24 hour period once a week.

However, SXSW is not a time for rest and relaxation.  It is five intense days filled with deep learning and intense study. Anyone who is a part of the confluence of creativity and technology should attend this conference as this is where the future of tomorrow is revealed.

It was encouraging to know that VISIT FLORIDA is heading in the right direction as we orient the organization to support new digital initiatives.  With the technological and business decisions that have been made and are currently being made, VISIT FLORIDA is setting itself up for great success.